8. Coconut oil | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

10 Trendy Health Foods That Don't Pass The Reality Check

Clever marketing campaigns can be deceiving, but it's time to take control of our health!

688
10 Trendy Health Foods That Don't Pass The Reality Check

In This Article:

With diets like Keto, Paleo, Whole30, and myriad of others floating around health and wellness communities online, it can be difficult to sort through the facts to find out what foods are healthy or if an influencer is just trying to sell you something. We can often be fooled by products advertised as being "organic," "all-natural," or "low fat." Let's stop being tricked into buying food based on meaningless buzz words and start investing in our health!

1. Agave syrup

Part of a well-executed marketing campaign, it is the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing. While it sounds nice and has a lower glycemic index than sugar, it has anywhere from 80-90 percent more fructose than regular sugar which can lead to insulin resistance and higher triglycerides if consumed in large amounts.

2. Gluten-free Products

Unless you have Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity – which are characterized by skin rash, digestive issues as well as other symptoms – eating gluten-free alternatives (such as gluten-free bread or pasta) is no healthier for you than eating the gluten-filled original. Gluten-free products often are no healthier than the original, not to mention they contain fewer nutrients such as folic acid and iron. Unless you need to go gluten-free for medical reasons, just stick to regular bread or pasta.

3. Fruit juice

Everyone knows that fruit is good for you, but fruit juices often contain just as much, if not more sugar than a can of soda. Just like soda, when consumed in excessive amounts, it can lead to a risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Although 100 percent fruit juices do contain more nutrients than soda, it's best to limit your intake to five ounces per day.

4. Products with reduced fat

While it seems like a healthy choice at first glance, products that claim to have reduced fat often increase their sugar, flour, or salt content to make up for the lack of fat (and flavor). It's just another marketing ploy to make consumers feel better about indulging in their guilty pleasures (I'm looking at you, potato chips). However, that feeling is just ignorant bliss. Unfortunately, "reduced fat" foods are unhealthier and less satiating in the long run, meaning that you won't feel as full and will want to eat more of it.

5. Boxed "veggie" pasta

When compared with regular pasta, vegetable enriched pasta differs very little in terms of health benefits. At that point, why bother eating pasta whose health benefits are limited to it literally being green? A better alternative would be to use spiralized vegetables like zucchini or squash in place of actual pasta, adding fiber and lowering carbohydrates to the meal.

6. Frozen "diet" meals

These meals are often focused on portion control rather than getting vital nutrients, hence their low calories. Often, the number of calories is so little that you'll wind up grabbing a snack not long afterward because the "meal" wasn't enough. They also often contain loads of sodium to help preserve them and add flavor which can lead to bloating. If you're looking for a quick alternative, try batch cooking or meal prepping in advance. You can freeze some of them for when you're in a pinch and need a quick meal.

7. Diet sodas

The concept of anything "zero-calorie" is tempting but diet sodas are, in some ways, just as bad as regular soda. While they don't have calories, they can still negatively impact your health with some studies finding that drinking diet soda can prime your brain to expect a surge of calories like it would with a normal soft drink, which triggers your appetite cues, leading to overeating and weight gain.

8. Coconut oil

It's fine to substitute coconut oil if you're trying to shake up your normal flavor profile for dinner, but let's not make up health benefits to make ourselves feel better about using it as opposed to olive oil. This oil is full of saturated fats, and while preliminary data shows it helps raise HDL (the good cholesterol), there's no conclusive evidence that it lowers the risk of heart disease. Coconut oil is not off-limits by any means, but let's only give credit where credit is due.

9. Fermented foods

Most people know probiotics to aid digestive health but sometimes it's not what we need. People who follow a high carb and high sugar diets, consume a lot of alcohol, have chronic stress, or take antibiotics regularly are at risk for developing a Candida (yeast) overgrowth in the gut. This overgrowth can cause digestive issues, fungal infections, and recurring UTIs. Prebiotics found in fermented food that feed the "good" bacteria also feed "bad" bacteria and yeast, therein lies the problem. So unless you've already got a low sugar diet in place and take care of your health otherwise, the effects of probiotics will be limited.

10. Dried Fruit

"All things in moderation" should be the motto when it comes to dried fruits. Dried fruit isn't inherently bad as it's packed with nutrients and vitamins, however, it's often smaller than the original fruit, thus making the sweetness extremely concentrated. This will make the snack less satiating, causing you to eat more than if you were just eating regular fruit. Sometimes it's better to just stick with the basics.

Report this Content
Adulting

The Struggles of Being A Last Semester Senior, As Told By Michael Scott

25 reasons your last semester in college is the best and worst time of your life

500
Michael Scott

The day you walked onto your school's campus for the first time you were scared, excited, and unsure of how the next four years of your life were going to turn out. You doubted it would go fast and even though you weren't positive about what your future plans would hold, you had plenty of time. You figured out your major, added a minor or two, joined a handful of organizations and all of the sudden you're here. Your final semester of undergrad. Now you've got 25 problems and graduation is only one.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Syllabus Week At UD Explained By "The Office"

"The Office" understands the struggle of the first week back from winter break.

515
the office

January 19th is the first day of the second semester at the University of Dayton, and students couldn't be more excited. However, the excitement that students are experiencing may be short-lived once they see what this semester's courses will entail. Although students will be happy to be back at Dayton, they may realize this semester will be more difficult than they predicted. Here are some things that happen during syllabus week explained by " The Office."

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Your Friend Group, As Told By Disney Princesses

Each Disney Princess has their own personality, and chances are you've got a friend in your group to match it.

1086
Disney Princesses

The dynamics of any friend group are usually determined by the personalities which make it up. Chances are, while personalities may overlap, each person in your friend group holds his or her own place. It is the differences which bring the groups together and keep them functioning. No matter how functionally dysfunctional your friend group may be, if you're anything like me, you feel absolutely blessed to have found such a wonderful group of humans to call "your people." Here is what your friend group might look like if they were Disney princesses (and that wasn't just a thing you all pretended in your heads):

Keep Reading...Show less
dorm roon
Tumblr

College is a place where you spend four years exploring opportunities you never knew were there, creating the person you are, and making life-long friends. College is hard, but it is worth spending four years there. Just because college is difficult doesn't mean that it's not fun. There are plenty of great memories you can make during your four years if college. Here are ways college is designed to be the best four years of your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

You Know You Go To The Ilstu When...

If you are an ISU student, you will come across most of these things during your time on campus.

50
You Know You Go To The Ilstu When...
Community Link

When it comes to Bloomington-Normal, there are many outstanding factors that any Illinois State student can say are unique to our college town (and maybe others too). Proud or not, we Redbirds know all the ins and outs of Blono.

1. The wait for Buffalo Wild Wings is always going to be long on Thursday nights.

As hard as we try, it's nearly impossible to resist the 69-cent wings on a college student budget. Plus, they are always delicious!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments